


the Letters of Shao Jun

by Maria_and_Aguilars_Codex_1492



Series: the Letters from the Past [2]
Category: Assassin's Creed - All Media Types
Genre: 16th Century China, Assassins vs Templars, Gen, Ming Dynasty
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-08
Updated: 2017-06-08
Packaged: 2018-11-11 06:40:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,137
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11142942
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Maria_and_Aguilars_Codex_1492/pseuds/Maria_and_Aguilars_Codex_1492
Summary: Shao Jun writes a letter detailing her life leading up into her return to China.





	the Letters of Shao Jun

_To whoever may look upon this,_

_It was the winter of 1505 when I was born._

_I was the daughter of a concubine, born into imperial captivity and as such raised to become a concubine in the Forbidden City during China's Ming dynasty, under the lackluster rule of the Zhengde Emperor._

_At first I was one of the lower ranking concubines who hoped to become Empress, a wife of the Emperor. To this effect, I was taught the traditional arts displayed by the ladies of the imperial court, such as embroidery, singing and reading, but showed exceptional talent for dance and music early on._

_As a child and a concubine, I was to witness Liu Jin's execution and torture with the Ling Chi, a punishment for betraying the Emperor...a death by a thousand cuts haunted my mind. Liu Jin was a symbol of those who betrayed the Emerpor...a promise of bloodshed. A promise that I would not forget._

_The Zhengde Emperor, known for his juvenile nature and lack of interest in the urgent matters that concerned his country, regarded me highly among his concubines after I had reached my teenage years, for my agility and cat-like discretion seemed to spark an interest in him._

_By the age of thirteen, I had risen to the rank of Imperial Concubine through my talents and the Zhengde Emperor's affection. Along with my best friend Zhang, who was poised to become Imperial Consort or even Empress. We used to have friendly competitions with each other, but because of my feet not being bound I had an advantage over her. Even then, I had never visited the Emperor's bed who preferred the intimate company of prostitutes and other ladies he invited in._

 

_When the Zhengde Emperor fancied himself as a warlord and went to fight the Mongols in the north, I was one of the concubines he took with him. I traveled with him to his expeditions in various places and met many foreigners; to serve mostly as his spy, and finally, for his personal leisure. I cannot say that I regret the path that I have walked upon in my early life...I cannot say that I had much of a choice either, but the skills that I learned within my time under the Emperor would come to my advantage._

_However, after the Zhengde Emperor's death in April 1521, when I was sixteen, the royal ministers fell into disarray and bickered over who should succeed the heir-less Emperor; I realized that my opportunities to becoming an Imperial Consort would be lost, unless the new ruler took a liking me which seemed rather unlikely. I used my spying talents to find a way to maintain my Imperial Concubine privileges, and it was there that I uncovered a secret war between the Tigers which were working for the Templar Order and a Brotherhood of Assassins. I fathomed that the Tigers were plotting to control China by using their power to place their puppet on the throne. But it was then that I saw a chance for freedom in the Assassins and since the Tigers already controlled the most influential people in the court, I decided to contact the Assassin Order through Wang Yangming and joined them. After that, I_ _was rescued along with several other concubines after the Assassins broke into the royal palace._

_I dedicated my first years of freedom to serving the Brotherhood. Wang trained me in the Assassins' ways until I was an Initiate, and was rewarded with a Hidden Blade. However, Wang had to disappear to escape the Great Rites Controversy so Zhu Jiuyuan replaced him as my new Mentor. Under his wing, I reached the full rank of Assassin and took a leap of faith._

_Years after my own rescue, myself and my Mentor decided to save the remaining concubines whom I had grown up with. After breaking into the Imperial Palace, however, I discovered that most of my friends had been tortured and killed through the use of Ling Chi by order of the Zhengde Emperor's cousin and successor, Zhu Houcong, the Jiajing Emperor....we had no choice but to leave the palace empty handed._

_Not long after our break in, the Jiajing Emperor sought to detain and execute any opposition or possible threats against his rule. The Assassins were some of the purge's most high-profile targets, and on the Jiajing Emperor's orders, a majority of the Assassins in China were killed. The few who survived either went into hiding or fled westward. I didn't wish to leave-personally-but in the end I fled westward with my brothers._

_Through our journey into western Europe, myself and my mentor searched for other Brotherhoods. We found only one, an older man named Ezio Auditore , who spoke of many things. He trained me and taught me things that I had never known before. It pained me to part from this strange land and the family who had taken me in, but I knew of what path I was to take._

_Before I left, Ezio gave a small chest that contained something which could aid me in the future, stating that I should only open it if I were to lose my way. As government guards came into view on horseback, Ezio bade me to leave and gave me his blessing before they arrived. I then departed Ezio's villa to return home to China...I miss him and his family, but perhaps we will meet again some day._

_Once I had reached China in 1526, I used a network of old abandoned Brotherhood safe houses and eventually sought out Wang Yangming, where I told him about my travels, the death of my Mentor, and Ezio Auditore. The Chinese master had not seen me since he helped in my escape of the Forbidden City. He told me that he was impressed by the accomplishments of a former Concubine who had now become a skilled killer, not only trained by Zhu Jiuyuan, but now also by the Italian Mentor. We spoke for many hours before I finally gave him the small chest that Ezio had given to me. He identified it as a precursor, an odd thing, that I had only read about in ancient scrolls. We both knew what this meant for us. A chance to walk the path of bloodshed in order to free China from the Templar Order. A Templar Order that would no doubtly seek us out if they were to learn of the precursor in our possession._

_Which is where I am now. Hunting down those who wish nothing more than to control every ounce of China and the proplr who reside within it._

_But I leave behind only one warning for those who have read this: She who seeks revenge should remember to dig two graves._

 


End file.
